The vast archipelago and the great number of island have made Indonesia the home of alarge variety of plant life. The Indonesian flora ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant Raflesia plant. No wonder many botanist are curious to study these plants. The Rafflesia Arnoldi is the biggest flower in the world. It is unusual because if its large size 4 has flower almost a metre in diameter and 1.40 metres in height.
"Rafflesia" is derived from the name of the British Governor General. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who once governed and built the Botanis Gardens in Bogor. Though it is called Rafflesia affer Raffles, the man who discovered the plant was Beccary, an Italian Botanist who visited Sumatra in 1928.
Rafflesia consists of two parts:
- The stick-part which grows in th middle
- And the petals around and below it.
The Rafflesia plant begint to flower in its tenth year. It blooms three of four time a year. Before it begins to flower, the leaves and the stem become dry and look dead, but the main root in the ground is still alive
While the flower is blooming, it has a very unpleasant smell which attracts insects. Especially green flies. They seem eager to explore the flower. But if the flies touch the bottom part of the stick, like centre, they die.
So I say hopefully this short article useful, Thank you, for visiting this humble blog.
Source : Buku Modul Paket B Setara SMP tahun 2012.
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